Super Siem secures a Dubai berth with his thrilling play off win
Marcel Siem secured his spot at Jumeirah Golf Estates for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, which will take place from Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 November, in fine fashion by beating Alexander Levy and Ross Fisher in a thrilling play-off to win the BMW Masters in Shanghai and move into the top five in The Race to Dubai. With the fourth European Tour win of his career and his first this season, the 34-year-old German now has 2,190,093 points to move from 53rd to fourth in The Race to Dubai rankings and is all set to play in his third DP World Tour Championship next month.
The BMW Masters was the first of four tournaments in the European Tour’s Final Series, which sees The Race to Dubai move from a money-based table to a points table with every Euro of prize money earned by the top 111 players this season being converted into a point.
“The golf course was the total opposite to the first three days,” said Siem, whose last win came at last year’s Trophée Hassan II in Morocco. “The course was a real monster and I’m super pleased, still can’t believe it. I’m over the moon.”
Siem, who missed a short birdie putt on the final hole of regulation, chipped in for birdie on the first play-off hole and then watched as Levy and Fisher missed their putts to hand him the win.
“In the play-off, I thought I had to hole it just to stay in,” Siem said. “I was expecting one of the guys to hole their putt actually. It’s just fantastic. A chip-in is always cool, but to have it in a play-off is even cooler.
“I have never been in a position like this, to be honest, in such a big tournament. You try not to think about the prize money, but its crazy prize money here.”
Levy’s runner-up finish takes him into the top ten in The Race to Dubai as he goes from 19th to seventh while Fisher’s effort this week propels him from 49th to 15th in the rankings and also secures him a place in the season-finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates later this month.
Ryder Cup heroes Jamie Donaldson and Justin Rose both finished one shot behind Siem to end the tournament tied for fourth place. Donaldson now displaces Sergio Garcia in second place in the rankings while Rose moves from eighth to fifth spot.
Nicolas Colsaerts finished tied for sixth at the BMW Masters to leapfrog from 59th to 39th in The Race to Dubai to ensure that he’ll be teeing off here in Dubai this month.
The Final Series continues later this week with the WGC – HSBC Champions and will conclude at the Earth course with the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The top 10 European Tour Race to Dubai Rankings as of 3 November following the BMW Masters:
1. Rory MCILROY 5,400,700 (points)
2. Jamie DONALDSON 2,353,309
3. Sergio GARCIA 2,275,712
4. Marcel SIEM 2,190,093
5. Justin ROSE 1,966,531
6. Henrik STENSON 1,941,231
7. Alexander LEVY 1,909,903
8. Thomas BJØRN 1,887,652
9. Victor DUBUISSON 1,800,166
10. Mikko ILONEN 1,669,442
